If you’ll be celebrating 10 years of Splash House during its double weekender in August, you may as well make a vacation of it and spend a few extra days around the Palm Springs area to make the most of it because it truly is a resort city, known for its hot springs, spas, and golf courses. Of course, Splash House, which takes place across three resorts, is enough to keep you busy for the weekend but should you have extra time before or after the festivities, here is a list of activities to check out!
Downtown Palm Springs
Like any downtown area, the downtown area of Palm Springs has plenty of boutiques, mom-and-pop shops, restaurants, and bars that you can meander through. It is a pretty small downtown area, however, and only runs for a couple of blocks so you’ll want to take that into account if you want to plan your day out. If you’re there on a Thursday evening (i.e. if you get there a day early for Splash House), Palm Springs Village Fest takes place in the streets and features arts, crafts, food, and entertainment. Depending on what sort of adventure you’re looking for, you can take the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to Mt. San Jacinto State Park, home to over 50 miles of hiking trails.
Greater Palm Springs
The Greater Palm Springs area encompasses nine cities – Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio, and Coachella – each of which offers its own blend of experiences. If you’re looking for some rest and relaxation after a weekend of dancing, Desert Hot Springs is home to plentiful boutique hotels that have mineral spring waters for your spa pleasures. Cathedral City is home to a growing collection of public art as well as art galleries and historic sites. If you’re in the market for something fun to wear to Splash House or just want to (window) shop, Desert Hills Premium Outlet is home to the largest collection of luxury outlets in California.
Joshua Tree National Park
If you are eager to venture a little bit further out – roughly an hour – you can find yourself in Joshua Tree National Park, home to dozens of trails that are open 24/7. You will want to make sure you plan appropriately, especially with it being summer. And the best thing about the park not closing at night during the summer? You’ll get some amazing stargazing views since the core of the Milky Way is at its peak. Not only is the Milky Way visible, but the Perseid Meteor Showers will actually be peaking during the first weekend of Splash House and the moon will be at approximately 10%, so you may be able to see over 100 meteors per hour, given the low moon presence.
All-in-all, you have plenty of things to fill your time up if you decide to arrive early, leave late, or even hey…you might be doing both August weekends and staying in Palm Springs in between! And if you’re only going for the weekend for Splash House, that’s perfectly okay too – it will be a blast either way and I know I personally cannot wait to dance to some groovy house music.
Purchase passes to Weekend 1 and/or 2!
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